Automotive manufacturers have long sought to make passengers as comfortable as possible during travel, focusing both on physical comfort and on the passenger's entertainment. For example, vehicle sound systems have become standard accessories in most cars and trucks. In recent years, efforts have involved attempts to bring video technology into the passenger compartment, either in the form of a television, a computer, a video game display or other devices for displaying visual or audio-visual information to a passenger.
Unfortunately, display units have heretofore been impractical as automotive accessories due to problems in mounting conventional display units within a vehicle. One problem relates to the size of most display units, because space is at a premium in most vehicles. Therefore it is difficult to find sufficient space for a standard-sized display unit.
Another problem arises from difficulties placing the display unit in a position where it may be viewed by a passenger but will not obstruct the driver's view of the road. Besides not obstructing the driver, the display unit needs to be positioned so that the driver will not be distracted by the images displayed on the unit, even if the driver's view is not obstructed.
Still another problem involves the stowability of the display unit, and its corresponding effect on passenger safety. Because of its close proximity to the vehicle's seating area, the display unit must be stowable during ingress and egress so it does not interfere with passenger movement. Moreover, after a passenger is seated, the apparatus should be accessible in an ergonomically advantageous way. The user also should be able to position selectively the display unit for comfortable viewing angles. Similarly, the controls or other adjustment mechanisms of the apparatus should be positioned so they may be reached easily by passengers. In situations where the apparatus is meant to be viewed by multiple passengers, the controls should be positioned and designed so they are comfortably accessible by any of these passengers.
Because travelers, and seating areas therefor, may differ dramatically in size and shape, the support apparatus should be adjustable to present the display unit at a user-selected viewing angle, regardless of the size or shape of the particular seat or user. Furthermore, even similarly sized individuals may have different preferred viewing angles. Therefore a stowable support apparatus not only should adjust between a stowed and a display, or user-viewable, position, but also should enable a user to adjust the viewing orientation of the display unit to suit that user's particular needs or preferences.
Safety is also of utmost importance when such an apparatus is used by a passenger, or passengers, while a vehicle is in transit. Sudden stops, starts, or changes in direction could cause the display unit to fly out of control and damage the unit or injure the intended viewer or nearby passengers. Therefore, there is a need for a stowable support apparatus which is constrained from freely moving or otherwise adjusting when the vehicle or passenger undergoes sudden stops or movements. A competing, and equally important concern, however, is that the apparatus must collapse or yield if impacted by the user, such as during a collision or rapid change in direction or speed. If the display unit remains rigidly positioned when impacted, the user is prone to severe injury when he or she impacts this non-yielding structure. To satisfy both concerns, the display unit should retract or otherwise pivot to a safe position when struck by a user or other object, yet resist changes in position solely on account of changes in the vehicle's speed or direction.
Known display units also have been unable to meet consumer expectations due to difficulties in providing acceptable picture quality in a package of suitable size. However, with advancements in flat-panel display technology, picture quality of smaller display units has improved dramatically. The present invention takes advantage of these improvements and overcomes the above and other disadvantages of other display units by providing a stowable display apparatus which is well-suited for mounting in the passenger compartment of a vehicle.
In brief summary, the apparatus includes a base adapted to be mounted on the ceiling of a vehicle, such as an automobile, and a display unit that is mounted on the base. The display unit is pivotal with respect to the base in a range of positions between a stowed position, in which the unit is retained proximate the base and generally parallel to the ceiling of the vehicle, and a deployed position, in which the unit is pivoted away from the base into the passenger compartment of the vehicle. The display unit further includes a push-button mechanism with a push-button actuator that selectively engages the display unit to retain the unit in the stowed position. The mechanism is moveable between a rest position, in which it is positioned to engage the display unit, and a depressed position, in which the mechanism is freed from engagement with the display unit as the push-button actuator is moved toward the base, thereby enabling the display unit to pivot away from the stowed position.
These and other advantages and features of the invention will become more fully apparent as the detailed description below is read with reference to the accompanying drawings.